Suction-cleaner.



W. W.-ROSENFIELD.

SUCTION CLEANER. APPucATloM FILED FEB. 4. ma.

l ,296, Patented Ma.r4,1919.'

i nozzles heretofore-made in for withdrawing dust "body ofthe carpet and small pieces and par- SUCTION-CLEANER.

asentar.

TQ ll'whpmrz't may concern: "'Be itfknovvnthat I, WILLIAM W. ROSEN- `Fiano, a citizen of the United States, re-

'r'esented in the following specificationand theaccompanying'drawings, forminga part the san-1e. This inventionfrelates to suction cleaners and more particularly to suction cleaning nozzles, and comprises means whereby loose dirtand pieces -a'ndparticles of matter may be readily taken up from the surfaceto be cleaned.

j'llheusual'suction cleaner with its Alips on either Aside ofthe intake `slot formed to-lie close-against-the surface of the "earpet or other surface to be cleaned, while eective or fine dirt from the tielesof mosti-kinds from the surface of the carpet, does not serve ,well to take up' pieces (if-thread or loose fibrous material such as pieces of sewing fthreads, ravelings, hair, etc. The present invention aims especially toovercoinethis dillieult and to provide a suction-nozzle which istl -oroughly effective v'for Ltaking-up threads, 'ravelings, hair, and all kinds of small articles and pieces and particles of various kinds from the surface of carpets and rugs and similar materials. Others have -sought heretofore to secure this result byprovidin the ruiming face of the nozzle with a sur ace formed to provide a plurality of outstanding abut-ments or runners lwith intake .or draft passages between them. My invention aims to improve sucation nozzles of this kind and especially to provide a nozzle in which the projections and draft passages ofthe noz-zle face shall be adapted to 'act more eiiieiently than in the disturbing the threads, etc., and vthen freeing them and drawing them into' themain intake'passage of the nozzle. The disturbing surface may be in various lforms and of various materials. I iind'injpractice that a suitable felt gives excellent results, but otherV .materia-ls, such as vrubber of asuitable-degree of softness, or lharder material with lits' surface suitably formed for providing a friction surface efective to disturb or displace llreads, etc., over which it is passed,'.might new. e

`Specification of Letters' Patent.

Patented Mar. d, 1919i..

1 Application led February 4, 1913. Serial Noi 746,110.

I The bottom part or plate of the nozzle formed to provide the friction disturbing means and 'cross draft passage or passages 1n accordance with my invention, may be made as a permanent part of the body of the nozzleor I may embody the invention 'in an attachment which may be detachably secured tonJ suction nozzle of the ordinary form having an elongated inlet slot and comparatively narrow lips on each side of the slot. :here-is an advantage in such an attachment, and the'same forms a part of the present invention.

A suction cleaner made in accordance with the invention is not limited in its use to cleaning carpets and rugs or similar materials but is Well adapted for cleaning unear- -peted wooden or other floors or other .hard smooth surfaces, :and effectively takes up all ikinds of Vdirt and small particles and articles including threads, etc., from-such surfaces. A full understanding ofthe invention can best be given by a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof-and modificacleaning nozzle having a removable mouth piece attachment made in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end view partly in cross-section of the construction of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing the friction disturbing ribs secured dircctly to an integral part of the nozzle.

Fig. 4 is an under or face view of the nozzle plate or attachment shown in Fig. 1.

Figs. 5 and Gare similar views of modified constructions.

Fig. 7 is .a front view of the construction shown in Fig. 1 with the surface of a carpet over which the nozzle is supposed to be moving indicated by dotted line.

vwith "the 'suction creating means through suitable connecting devices, as through a hollow handle .or stock when Athe nozzle forms part of a hand tool or implement, or

with the suction chamber of, a self-contained suctionf'ele'aner, that is, one yfezihich the meten-.itam aindfnle-farerneuntedftc lips 14. As

tachment 15 which is formed so that it mayA be readily secured to and removed from the nozzle 10, being for this purpose advantageously formed as shown with its upper face longitudinally recessed as shown at 16 to receive the bottom of the nozzle 10, and having holding springs 17 adapted to extend over and bear on the shoulders or anges formed by the outer portions of the lips 14 of the nozzle 10. The springs 17 for an attachment of the form shown, are' preferably made from straight pieces of spring metal secured by screws or otherwise to the upper face of the attachment 15 one 0n either slde of the recess 16, andvof a width throughout the'greater portion of their length such as not to extend over the edge of the recess but with their end portions extended inward as shown at 1S to form holding members or clips to extend over the edges of the recess 1-6 so as to engage and bear on the upper sides of the flanges of the `lips 14. With this arrangement the attachment 15 may be readily slid into place on the nozzle 10 or removed therefrom and when in place will be held securely in position with the lips of the nozzle 10 heldin close contact with the bottom of the recess 16.

The supplementary nozzle or attachment 15 is advantageously made com aratively thin and has a flat outer face whlch forms the under or running face of the nozzle when in use, and it is formed with an intake slot 20 opening through the running face in position to register with the intake passage 13 of the nozzle 10 when the attachment is in use. The running or under face of the attachment is provided in the embodiment of the invention shown in these figures with a plurality .of ribs 21 projecting from the running face so that the outer faces of the ribs will lie in a plane slightly beyond the under or running face of the attachment, so that when the device is in use the outer surfaces of the ribs will rest on the surface to be cleaned and the portions of the running face of the nozzlewhich are not provided with the ribs will stand slightly above the surface to be cleaned, thereby providing draft passages between the running face of the nozzle and the surface to be cleaned through which a current of air will be caused to move past and against the surface to be cleaned.

When the nozzle is moved back and forth over the carpet or other surface to be cleaned, the ribs 21 serve to disturb and loosen threads and other small pieces and-v particles on the .carpet or other surface, and

the disturbed and loosened threads are then taken up by the current of air passmg over and against the surface of the carpet and carried upward through the nozzle.

In order that the ribs 21 shl ll operate .in the desired manner, to loosen threads, ravelings, hairs, etc., on orsin the surface of the carpet, the lower surface of the ribs should be of a suitable character to frictionally engage and exert, the necessary grip and pull or drag on the threads, etc.2 with which the ribs come in contact. A. sultable friction or thread gripping surface is provided by making the ribs of strong, coarse felted fabric, and the use of such material for forming theribs has a further advantage inthat it is especially well adapted for a cleaning nozzle which is to be used for cleanino' hard wood or other uncarpeted oors.

Ihe ribs 21 may be of various proportionate sizes and arranged in various ways'in the running face of thenozzle. As shown in Figs. 1, 4 and, 7 ,the ribs are formed of comparatively narrow strips or rods of felt set into grooves formed in the running face of the nozzle on both sides of the intake slot and extending at an angle to the direction in which the nozzle is moved over the surface to be cleaned. The ribs or strips ofV felt or other material may extend all inthe same direction, but there` is some advantage vin arranging them symmetrically, as shown in Fig. 4for example, the ribs on thetwo sides of the center line ofthe nozzle face being,` oppositely inclined. The `width of the ribs may be varied within comparatively wide limits. When arranged as shown in Fig. 4, the felt ribs are conveniently made "of a width of about one-quarter ofl an inch and of a depth or thickness such that their outer o r engaging surface will stand from say an eighth to a quarter of an inch beyond 'the main portion of the running face of the nozzle. A greater or less number of ribs than shown in Fig. 4 might, of course, be provided, but for a nozzle of average size with an intake slot of say from six to nine inches long and with the running face of the nozzle of about the proportionate width shown, the number and arrangement of ribs shown in this figure is found to give excellent results as the aggregate extent of the ribs longitudinally of the nozzle. is such that the ribs will ass in contact with substan tially 4the whdle Asurface `over whichthe i11- take slot of the nozzle'passes and comparatively wide passages of substantially greater width than the ribs are provided between the ribs through which the loosened threads, etc. may be drawn intothe nozzle slot.

An advantage of having the ribs set diagthe movement of the nozzle over the carpet or other surface, threads or other small art-icles disturbed by the ribs may be freed before the side of the nozzle face has passed completely over them so as to be immediately drawn inward to the intake slot by the strong current of air passing through the draftl passages between the face of the nozzle and the carpet adjacent to or between the ribs. While this diagonal arrangement of the ribs is of advantage, however, it is not absolutelyy essential, since Acomparatively good results may be obtained with the. ribs otherwise arranged, as for example as in the modified constructions illust-rated by Figs. 5 and 6.

The width of the running face of the nozzle should for best results be substantiallygreater than that of the usual nozzle having narrow suction sealing lips such as the. lips 14 of the nozzle 10 shown in Figs. l and 2, such increased width being desirable in order that the draft passages between the widthwise extended nozzle face and the sul'- face to be cleaned shall be of substantial width or dimension in the direction of the in-passing air current, as a more efficient action is thereby secured.

In using the nozzle on a carpet or other soft or yielding surface, the surface of the carpet may bulge br project upward somewhat toward the face of the nozzle between the downwardly extending ribs, as indicated by the dotted line a in Fig. 7, but there will always be a free passage for the air to flow over and against the surface of the carpet adjacent the ribs, that is, at the point where it is most needed.

VVInstead of embodying the invention in a Supplementary nozzle or attachment, as shown in Figs. l and 2, the disturbing or friction ribs might be applied to theenozzle ace formed integral with or permanently attached to the In Fig. 3 there is shown in cross-section such a construction, in which the lips forming the under or running face of the nozzle 10a are extended on each side of the intake slot to form al running face of substantially the proportionate width of the running face of the attachment 15 as shown. 4

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified arrangement in which the ribs 21 are narrower andarranged closer together than in Fig. 4. In this arrangement, also, the ribs on one side of the inletI slot are set in staggered relation to those on the other side of the slot and the ribs on one side extend in the direction of movement of the nozzle over the surface to be cleaned, and on both sides of the inlet slot the ribs end short of the edge of the'slot so as to leave an entirely clear space beneath the nozzle face for a short distance on either side of the intake slot. This arrangement is of especial advantage where a comparatively large number of ribs is provided, and more particularly when the ribs extend parallel with the direction of the chambered nozzle body 11..

movement of the nozzle, since thereby threads, ete., which have been engaged by the. ribs are released in time to be taken up by the current of air passing inward beneath the. nozzle face.

Fig. shows an arrangement in which the ribs on both sides of the intake slot extend parallel with the direction of movement of the nozzle, the ribs on one side of the slot being in staggered relation to those on the other side. In both of these figures I have shown the ribs comparatively narrow, and such narrow ribs may conveniently be made. of rubber of a suitable degree of hardness and preferably of rubber with a strengthening layer or layers of fabric embodiedtherein.

- It is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions and arrangements shown and to which the foregoing description has been largely confined, but that it includes changes and modifications thereof within the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A suction cleaning nozzle having its running face formed by a plate having an intake slot communicating with a suction passage and provided on its under side with a plurality of spaced ribs extending transversely to the intake slot and each having a lower friction surface, the passages between the ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

2. A suction cleaning nozzle having its running face formed by a plate having an intake slot communicating with a suction passage and provided on its under side with a plurality of spaced diagonally disposed ribs each having a lower friction surface, the ribs ending adjacent the edge of the intake slot to avoid obstruction thereof, and the passages between the ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

3. A suction cleaning nozzle having its running face formed by a plate having an intake slot communicating with a suction passage and provided on its under side with a plurality of spaced ribs each having a lower friction surface, the ribs extending transversely to the intake slot and ending short of the edge of the intake slot, and the passages between the ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

4. A suction cleaning nozzle having its ruiming face formed by a plate having an intake slot communicating with a suction passage and provided on its under side on each side of the intake slot with a plurality of spaced ribs each having a lower friction surface, the ribs on one side of the intake slot being in staggared relation to the ribs on the other side of the slot, and the passages between the ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

5. A detachable nozzle plate having an intakel slot to communicate with a suction passage and provided on its under side on each side of the intake slot with a plurality of spaced ribs extending transversely to the intake slot and each having a lower friction surface, the passages between t-he ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

6. l'detachable nozzle plate having an intake slot to communicate with'the suction passage and provided on its under side with a plurality of spaced diagonally disposed ribs each having a lower friction surface and ending short of the edge of the slot, the

passages between the ribs being of substantially greater width than the ribs.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM W. ROSENFIELD.' -Witnesses LQ V. SIMPSON, A. L. KENT. 

